Page 4 of Finding My Forever

“Come in.”

I pushed the door open enough to step in and shut it behind me. “Good morning.”

She looked up from the papers she was reading and smiled. “Good morning, April. Please take a seat.”

Once I was settled, she slid the papers to the side and folded her hands on the desk. “What can I do for you this morning?”

“Well, I got an email this morning about the essay I wrote at the end of last year.”

She continued to smile. “And?”

“After I won state, the essay continued on to nationals and I won my category.” I tried to remain calm but telling Mrs. Howard, the person that had encouraged me to enter the competition, was exciting. She was likely the only person that really understood how big of a deal it was.

Her eyes lit up as her smile grew wide. “April, that’s amazing. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. I owe you, though.”

She waved me off. “I just told you about the competition. You wrote an amazing piece. I’m so proud of you.”

I could feel my cheeks warm and was grateful we were in the privacy of her office. I didn’t let most people know about this side of me. It was easier to let people believe their preconceived notions about me that they based more on my uniform than what I said or did. What was the point in trying to convince them I was actually smart? It didn’t matter what they thought.

That was one of the most important things my older sisters taught me, life went on after high school. Enjoy these years, but don’t live for them. Have goals, think ahead, plan for the future I want.

“Thanks, I can’t believe it won.” I wasn’t being modest, I really wouldn't have ever thought my paper would impress the national panel.

“I’m not. You’re very talented, and I’m glad you’re living up to your potential. Plus, this is something neither of your sisters ever accomplished,” she said it with a knowing look in her eyes.

She’d been my guidance counselor all four years of high school, and for Beth and Elise. She knew each of us, so she understood what I had to live up to. My sophomore year, when Elise was top of her class, in student council, and president of a dozen clubs, I came to Mrs. Howard with my panic.

Beth had been top of her class and gotten into her dream school, setting the standard for me and Elise. The pressure had been too much to live up to their reputations.

At the time, I was on the cheer squad and was so close to giving in to the role I was expected to play. I told her I couldn’t be my sisters, and she told me no one was telling me I had to.

That meeting had changed my life.

As cheesy as it sounded, Mrs. Howard saved me. She told me I could find my unique place in the school and make my own legacy. That’s when we came up with my plan. I was smart, maybe not on the same level as Beth, but didn’t want to be in all Advanced Placement classes since cheer took so much of my time. So, we agreed to focus on keeping my GPA at a perfect four-point zero and finding things that I was interested in. Like writing. Along with excellent extracurriculars and high scores on the SAT and ACT, I was confident I could get into a great school, I just didn’t know which one.

“No, they didn’t.” I agreed.

“So, give me the details.” She leaned forward and rested her elbows on her desk.

I leaned back in the chair. “Well, there’s a three-thousand-dollar scholarship.” Her eyebrows rose. “And a week-long trip to New York.”

“Wow! That’s exciting. Now you can include it on your applications and have some fun. When is the trip?”

“The end of October. I’ll be missing class so I’ll probably need to get make-up work.”

Her smile turned to a smirk. “What will you be doing in New York?”

I narrowed my eyes, trying to remember. “The email said that the winners will attend an award ceremony one night, but the rest of the time is for sightseeing.”

“Educational sightseeing?”

I caught on to her meaning. “Of course, museums and historical sights plus cultural experiences.”

She began nodding. “I’ll put together a notice for your teachers that will waive your classwork in exchanged for a two-page paper about what you learned.”

I bit my lip and nodded. “Thanks, Mrs. Howard.”